Socialisn’t

Straight from the socialists themselves, CNN has a report/interview about what actual socialists think of Obama. The gist of it: Obama’s no socialist. Indeed, it seems to me that Obama is a centrist at his most left–wing, and a moderate conservative at his most right–wing. But a socialist? No.

Words mean things, and by calling everyone “socialist”, “communist”, of “fascist”, the meanings of those words change. They become nearly meaningless insults that say more about the person applying them than about who they are applied to. If anything, they mean “I don’t like you” or “I disagree with your policies”. They have become impossible to characterize any further. The modern teabag movement almost begs for a new version of Godwin’s law:

“In any discussion of American politics, someone calling their opponent a socialist, communist, or fascist, will eventually occur.”

Justice Stevens to retire?

CNN reports that Justice John Paul Stevens of the Supreme Court of the United States may be retiring soon, possibly at the end of this term. As Stevens has been rumoured to be imminently retiring for over a decade now, I think it’s prudent to wait until an official announcement.

But if he does retire, who will Barack Obama name as his replacement? An informal unscientific survey of the blogosphere indicates that the current Solicitor General of the United States, Elena Kagan, is the front–runner. Other possibilities include Pam Karlan, Kathleen Sullivan, and Justice Diane Wood.

Need I mention to Republican Senators that it is not worth it to filibuster Stevens’ replacement? It’s replacing one left–wing member of the court with another. This will not alter the ideological balance of the court.

There is one final bookend to this. Both Karlan and Sullivan are openly lesbian (cite). When you read Antonin Scalia’s dissent in Lawrence v. Texas, you should have no problem agreeing with Scott Lemieux’s view of him. It would be pleasantly ironic if Scalia is forced to work together with one (or two, if both Karlan and Sullivan end up on SCOTUS) LGBT individuals.

Update (2010–04–09): It’s official (via).

City of Ottawa confiscates Parliament Buildings

Today, it was just reported that the City of Ottawa has confiscated and condemned the Parliament Buildings. Just after dawn, health inspectors, police officers, and property assessors have closed down the historic buildings.

When asked for an explanation of this turn of events, a city spokesperson gave three explanations: “Due to all the mudslinging going on in there, the walls, floors, and ceilings are now so covered with gunk that it is a health hazard. Furthermore, the large amount of hot air constantly circulating inside is starting to weaken structural elements, making it dangerous to be inside the building. Lastly, due to the constant prorogations of Parliament, the Buildings have been declared abandoned by their previous residents.”